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Mississippi Snake Identification
Name: Les
Location: N/A
Country: N/A
Date: N/A
Question:
I am trying to identify a snake
It is about 12 inches long, oval head, mottled colorings with a gray body
reddish brown bloches outlined in black on its back with a different
pattern on its belly
It was found swimming in the Mississippi on the surface of the water.
It tried to strike when handled. Is this a water snake?
Replies:
Well, there are several kinds of snakes that swim. Most of them aren't
venomous. You can find pictures of some of them at the web site
http://gto.ncsa.uiuc.edu/pingleto/herps/colubrid5.html.
HOwever, none of those really match the description you gave, "reddish
brown bloches outlined in black." The closest picture of a water snake I
could find with such features is the venomous cottonmouth, or water
moccasin. These snakes are fairly aggressive and fearless, so they say.
(I've never encountered one in the wild; I have encountered rattlesnakes,
which are quite timid.) There are many pictures of cottonmouths at
http://gto.ncsa.uiuc.edu/pingleto/herps/crotalinae.html. What you
described sounds a little like the pictures of the juvenile, such as the
one at http://gto.ncsa.uiuc.edu/pingleto/herps/images/snakes/juvmoc3.jpg.
Don't pester a cottonmouth!
Richard Barrans Jr., Ph.D.
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Update: June 2012
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